DIBRUGARH: The 110th birth anniversary of Jananeta Ramesh Chandra Barooah was held on Friday in Dibrugarh. The occasion was marked by lighting of the ceremonial lamp by Indira Barooah, elder daughter in-law of the late leader, followed by a memorial talk by noted historian, Dr. Rajen Saikia, The meeting was presided over by D. Paramananda Mahanta.
In his talk Dr. Saikia dwelt at length on the contribution of lesser known figures to the freedom struggle. He highlighted the fact that Assam gave shelter to revolutionaries from Punjab & Bengal who interacted with the regional population creating awareness of events unfolding elsewhere the country. He also mentioned the important role of the Congress Socialist Party at that time. He drew the audiences’ attention to the then Congress President Netaji’s role in forming the Congress Government in Assam, under the stewardship of Lokopriya Gopinath Bordoloi in 1939. He stressed on the lasting legacy of the freedom struggle in giving to the nation democracy, fundamental rights, an independent judiciary and the Indian Election Commission.
On the same occasion a memorial award for sports was presented to veteran footballer and former State Captain Tashan Borah by the president of Dibrugarh District Sports Association, Dr. Debojit Dutta. The awards for culture were presented Monumati Gohain, stage and cine actress of yesteryears who, however due to indifferent health could not attend the function in person. The trophy was presented to her at her home by Dhiren Boruah. Another cine and stage actress and dancer of the 50 & 60’s Menoka Chakraborty received her trophy from Munin Sharma.
In their acceptance speeches the awardees thanked the committee and the public of Dibrugarh for remembering them and their contribution. They also spoke of the vibrant sporting & cultural climate of the town in those early years.
While summing up the meting the president Dr. Mahanta, expressed his gratitude and appreciation to Dr. Rajen Saikia for his very thought-provoking lecture. He hoped that the lectures & awards would continue to be an important annual event for years to come. The vote of thanks was offered by the secretary of the committee Anil Dowerah, stated a press release.
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